PA Dem Gov Josh Shapiro defends counties seeking to count ineligible ballots, cites ‘lack of legal clarity’

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, has defended county election officials who have openly said that they would count ineligible ballots during a senate race recount, in violation of the state Supreme Court ruling. He said that as the recount went on, officials "were confronted with a lack of legal clarity surrounging undated mail-in ballots that caused significant confusion and put counties in a challenging legal position. The Bucks County Commissioner said she knew she was breaking the law by counting mail-in ballots that had been deemed ineligble but that she intended to do so anyway.

Shapiro ultimately backed the Supreme Court ruling stating improperly dated ballots must not be counted, but also called back to what he sees as inadequate law. "Both my predecessor and I have repeatedly called on lawmakers to deliver greater clarity on mail-in voting – and due to certain legislative actors refusing to act on critical election reforms, this issue had been left to the courts," Shapiro said.

.@GovernorShapiro weighs in: pic.twitter.com/ctApXo71xN

— Carter Walker (@ByCarterWalker) November 18, 2024